Ohio appellate court upholds inmate riot conviction

COLUMBUS (AP) — An Ohio appeals court has rejected a new trial for an inmate convicted in the deaths of two prisoners in a 1993 prison riot.

The 10th District Court of Appeals in Columbus this week turned down the request by Timothy Grinnel, sentenced to two life terms after the Lucasville riot.

The 49-year-old Grinnel was accused of opening prison doors at the request of a riot leader, allowing other inmates to kill prisoners they considered snitches.

A judge had rejected Grinnel’s 2008 claim that new evidence proved other inmates opened the doors, saying Grinnel waited too long to make the claim.

The appeals court agreed, saying Grinnel knew about the alleged new evidence since 2003.

The 11-day riot ended in the deaths of nine inmates and a prison guard.